Many of todays products sold in liquid form, such as liquid hand soap, are contained in disposable containers or reservoirs which incorporate a pump assembly. Typically the pump assembly includes a reciprocally movable element, which when moved dispenses a quantity of liquid soap from the reservoir. The reservoirs are fitted within a permanent housing which includes a movable actuator assembly which secures and reciprocally moves the movable element to dispense the fluid. This has been found to be both a convenient and economical means of fluid supply and dispensation. As the fluid reservoirs are replaced once the fluid supply is exhausted, it is desirable to manufacture the dispenser and reservoir so as to make replacement of the fluid reservoir as easy and quick as possible.
Known fluid dispensers suffer the disadvantage in that replacement of the fluid reservoir is time consuming, as care must be taken to ensure the reservoir is placed in the permanent housing in the correct dispensing position to dispense fluids. If the reservoir is not placed in the correct dispensing position with the movable element coupled to the actuator assembly, the dispenser will be inoperative as the movement of the actuator assembly will not reciprocally move the movable element and no fluids will be dispensed. To achieve the proper dispensing configuration, the pump assembly must therefore be precisely aligned in the housing to ensure it is properly secured in or coupled to the actuator assembly.
Known fluid dispensers suffer the further disadvantage, in that to secure or couple the pump assembly to the actuator assembly of the housing, an adjustment of the position of the reciprocally movable element is often required. In adjusting the movable element, liquid from the reservoir may be inadvertently dispensed or escape to adhere to and solidify around the permanent housing. These hardened liquids are often difficult to remove, affecting the smooth operation of the dispenser and creating an unfavourable and aesthetically unpleasing appearance.